Projects

Oak Restoration Project (North of Corvallis)

When this 37-acre parcel was purchased in 2005, it had been partially logged in the early 1900s and again in the 1950s, and untouched ever since. In the early harvests, the Oregon white oak, madrone, and other hardwoods were left behind due to their low commercial value. Over the years, the Douglas-fir gradually returned and were slowly overtaking the oaks. Read more...

Brey Riparian Restoration Project

The Brey riparian Restoration project is well on its way to becoming a valuable forested riparian buffer. It is located just south of Carlton along the North Yamhill River and includes 36 acres of riparian habitat along nearly one mile of river frontage. Read more...

Testimonials

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Oak Savanna Restoration

Rich and his crew did a fabulous job returning about 20 acres of my property to its original (pre-European) state. By eliminating poison oak, blackberries and hawthorn thickets, they expanded habitat and made my land accessible. I was most impressed with the speed with which they were able to work and how little impact their machines had on the ground. In most cases the native plants that were struggling in the shade of newly arrived invasives will be able to make a complete come back. I am happy to give my strong endorsement to this contractor--both for the quality of his work and his very clear expertise in this important niche.

John BalwitLandowner, Yamhill

Prairie and Oak Savanna Restoration

I am the project manager for a 130 acre prairie and oak savanna restoration project on private land near Jefferson, Oregon. When we started the project, the site was a mixture of intact oak savanna with huge Oregon white oak and grassland overrun with invasive brush such as Himalayan blackberry, Poison oak, and English hawthorn thickets; and historic oak savanna with an understory of very dense young oak and thickets of brush.

Our goal was to restore the site to its historic open oak savanna structure and reestablish native prairie species in the understory. To take on the daunting task, R-J Consulting was recommended to us by Steve Smith of the USFW Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. At the start of the project it was clear to me; we had the right company working on the project. Rich had just started the company and it was just himself and his CAT. He worked through the brush thickets with his rotary mower like he was mowing grass. He was also very careful to protect any native shrub he came upon, and, if not sure, waited to ask if I wanted to keep it....

His work with thinning the young oak was equally impressive. The spray attachment he designed for his CAT allows precise application to the stump and eliminates the possibility of the oak woodland returning (perfect for hawthorn too!). Again, he was always careful about which young oaks to keep and, if unsure, waited to ask. He carefully chose the trees with lower branches knowing they would become the savanna oaks desired on this site 100 years from now. The CAT also left a relatively small footprint with vegetation retaking what looked like a denuded site (with a little help from native seed too).

This summer will be his third on the site. With a crew of 2, he moves quickly and efficiently. It's almost like a dance. No wasted moves. He has also trained his crews to be extremely careful when they turn, taking the needed time to ensure the ground is not disturbed beyond repair.

We are so please with this company, we have asked them to work on an additional restoration site this summer.